Archive for the ‘Portraits’ Category

{Meet Megan Johnson}

Posted in Fashion/Modeling Portfolios, Portraits on April 25, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

A young and  enthusiastic local beauty. Meg and I have done a shoot together in the past but this shoot was just special… She’s an effortlessly gorgeous young lady with a heart of gold! We went up to Hammarsdale to shoot at her stables with her horse and my oh my does her horse have personality! Every now and then throughout the shoot he would look back at me or sway his tale and in one pic his tongue is even showing! The bond between Meg and her horse is remarkable, this fascinated me as I forgot how nervous I get around horses. What a lovely shoot Meg!

 

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Make up by Charelle Mc Allister – 079 888 8777       | www.makeupbycharelle.co.za

Have a lovely day everyone! Please feel feel to leave comments!

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{Just a small afternoon studio session}

Posted in Family, Portraits on March 7, 2013 | 3 Comments »

I needed two children to use as models for something I was working on and I called up a friend of mine Michele who I know has two kids, one boy and one girl… just what I was looking for! Michele didnt even flinch at the request and was very keen to pop around one afternoon after picking them up from school so we could do a quick afternoon studio shoot at my place. My ‘models’ were just SO SUPER and it was a breeze working with them! THANKS AGAIN MISH! What a super day! And it turned out to be exactly what I needed… Not bad for a 20min impromptu studio shoot I’d say! xoxox

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Sisterly love – Jessica and Sarah Conne

Posted in Family, Portraits on January 1, 2013 | 3 Comments »

While I was away in Cape Town over December I went to a Kitchen tea (pics to follow soon) where I took a moment to do a few quick snaps of the gorgeous little girls, Jessica and Sarah. Such sweet girls with the most adorable smiles! I couldn’t help but take the gap to snap away!!

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Cutie pies!

Love Tae

xoxo

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{A Morning Amongst The Trees – The Mkadi Family}

Posted in Family, Portraits on November 8, 2012 | 3 Comments »

Whilst I was in Richards Bay this past weekend visiting my folks I was booked to do a shoot for the Mkadi Family (Thanks to my mom for organising)… We spent Sunday morning amongst the trees taking some family portraits and I got the opportunity to get to know a truly spectacular family! I love my job!

 

Have a Thoughtful and loving Thursday everyone!

love tae

xoxo

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{ Collette Johnson – Tribal Forest Nymph }

Posted in Fashion/Modeling Portfolios, Portraits, tagged on October 19, 2012 | 12 Comments »

Col has been a friend of mine for a few years and I have been fortunate enough to be her photographer on many occasions. She is a dynamic model with tons of potential. She is teeeeny tiny and could probably fit in your handbag if you tried. She has a personality that stops traffic and is super focussed, determined and never fails to deliver on a shoot. One thing I love about working with Col is that she is willing to push herself to the limits to get the shot, she never complains, she understands her body and the way it moves, looks and its capabilities. She tries everything that is asked of her and is always taking initiative to give the photographer options and choices. She was very stiff after doing this shoot and had a good giggle… she climbed trees, hung upside down, crawled through sand, got sprayed with water, had things thrown at her and still managed to look gorgeous! We’ve had great times working together and will no doubt have many many many more glorious pics done together in the future.

 

The inspiration behind this shoot os that of the life of a tribal forest nymph, yes I created this little being in my head… I think it had translated extremely well on camera and am very excited to share these pics with everyone… have a look, let me know what you think…

I must thank my trusty assistant Shan Truter, always so helpful and an asset to every shoot! And to my friend Kirsty Badenhorst for tagging along to be a third eye for detail on the shoot! Love u guys!

Hope you enjoyed! Please feel free to comment ;-)

Love Tae

xoxo

 

 

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{Tips for photographers + models}

Posted in Fashion/Modeling Portfolios, Portraits, tagged , , , , on October 16, 2012 | 3 Comments »

A few people have said to me over the years that my models and my photographs stand out from others they’ve seen because there is just a “little something extra” about them. For a long time I wasn’t quite sure what that meant or even whether it was a good or a bad thing haha. I was doing a photo shoot this past sunday of my friend Collette who is a model, also dances for the Sharks(yes- I’m a sharks fan!), competes in figure building competitions, over and above having a job(super woman) I had a serious LIGHTBULB MOMENT. I was noticing a huge difference in the outcome when the model(Col) was being given direction and when she was being left to thumb-suck what it was I wanted.

It’s really crucial that photographers understand the importance of communication when working with people.

You can have a gorgeous model but without direction they can look average, and this is more than likely what we are trying to avoid.

People don’t know what photographers are looking for or what THEY ARE SEEING… And so I recommend that you let them know things like :

  • “I’m not seeing your foot at the bottom, please lift your knees and point your toes towards me”
  • “I’m getting harsh shadows across your right side(always talk in terms of the models left and right, not the photographers), please face more towards the light”
  • “I’m losing your neck from my angle, please lift your chin slightly”

These are just a few examples but the TWO MOST CRITICAL THINGS TO REMEMBER:

  1. {GIVE CLEAR AND UNCOMPLICATED INSTRUCTIONS}
  2. {EDUCATE YOUR CLIENT – TELL THEM WHY THE SHOT ISN’T WORKING}

 

Have a look at two quick snaps from the shoot on sunday to see a small example of what I mean…

Once Col was given the direction she needed she produced an image like this:

The first pic without direction is by no means a terrible picture but its not what I was looking for and it just doesn’t do the model any justice. But the second pic with direction I feel has an edgier look and feel to it and is not as “safe” as the first pose.

The changes that were made with the positioning of the model were not major but the outcome is like day and night in my opinion. You want your model to look their best and not every model looks great in the same standard poses.

Keep letting your client know whats working and what isn’t but please don’t be rude… even the prettiest models in the world have insecurities and nerves in front of the camera so its best to be as polite as possible. And its also important to maintain a sense of humour throughout the shoot… there is a time to be serious and wear your big-boy broekies and business face but in reality a few lighthearted jokes and giggles will make the experience far more enjoyable for the client and they are more like to want to try harder instead of get tired and frustrated and call it a day after 40min.

I hope this quick tip was insightful :-)

Have a super duper day everyone!

Love Tae

xoxo

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Character Portrait {Kirsty Badenhorst}

Posted in Fashion/Modeling Portfolios, Portraits, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on April 11, 2012 | 4 Comments »

I’ve been very keen on character portraits for some time lately, setting people up in an environment that just sums up everything that they are about. From their clothing, to the poses, props, backdrops and lighting. I am honoured to have done a shoot for one of my best friends of all time (we go waaaaaaay back to those awkward unmentionable early teen years when Avril and Westlife were still cool, having matching DOLPHIN duvet covers was a must! and comparing YOU magazine centerfold posters stuck on our boarding school dorm room walls was an every day debate about who’s Hollywood Hottie was better looking and why… Lets not forget those really awesome hair-do’s we had including the most magnificent PERM and the most spectacular POTTY CUT FRINGE!—> wow we were cool)
So needless to say we’ve both come a looooooong way although awkward unmentionable moments never seems to escape us!  I thought who better to do a character portrait of than someone who’s character I know almost as well as my own… Kirsty Badenhorst. (Please Note: There is a very high chance that she is going to kill me when she sees what I have written in this post>>>> so if I don’t blog again in the next week please turn her in! Oh, and she would have most likely disposed of my body somewhere near the Lagoon in Bazley) hahaha

Kirsty is a VIBRANT , FRESH FACED, OUTGOING woman who loves the following things:

Candles, Birds, Lanterns, Orchids, Cherry Blossoms, Cooking but especially baking cupcakes! Textures, Interior Decorating and designing (she has her own company doing exactly this!— go figure), acoustic music, soulful lyrics, writing music, all things fluff, especially bunnies! (she has two… Pancakes and Gizzy) , exercising and keeping fit, watching love stories/movies/programs about Vampires and werewolves … you know the ones I’m talking about… I just cant bring myself to mention the name… Kirst loves to refurbish antique furniture, take on DIY craft projects and loves to shop! She loves the colour DUCK EGG BLUE and is a really talented artist! Kirst is always happy and there is never a dull moment when she is around but when she wakes up on monday morning she gets down to business and is very professional! She  shares my views on earthy authentic homes and has a rustic yet refined style. Here are some of her Portraits :)

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Behind the scenes for City Press i-Magazine shoot with Cupcake Couture & PlayPlay Creations

Posted in Fashion/Modeling Portfolios, Personal, Portraits, tagged , , , , , , , on April 11, 2012 | 4 Comments »

So Nadia from Cupcake Couture (a creative genius) called me up and booked me to take pics for City Press Newspaper… The article is centered around young working LOCALS who have interesting careers and fabulous style… So when Nadia told me this I said…. UMMMM YA! I was super keen to take part! We shot a Brett Florens’s studio in durban north and the day turned out to be really relaxed with an atmosphere to soak up and enjoy. It really didnt feel like work… well I guess taking photographs never really feels like work anyway but this was particularly chilled. The make-up artist on set was Candice from PlayPlay Creations (a make-up guru) who is taking SA by storm. I know Candice personally from many many many moons ago so it was also nice to catch up and touch base again.

” “Sunday morning. A coffee. Croissant. And City Press. Now Sunday’s have become even better – with the launch of i, a weekly lifestyle magazine supplement to the newspaper. iMagazine is a large-format, high-quality, picture-led magazine, with a sophisticated design supported by solid, smart editorial. Content covers celebrity, art and culture, sport, business, fine wine and dining, technology, health and beauty, money and investments and travel.

Written for a sophisticated, urban audience, i reflects the confidence and discernment of its reader. i is the “must read” weekend entertainment for successful, busy people.”

- Clare O’Donoghue, Content Director”

So here are a few sneaky pics from behind the scenes… once the article is published I can put the end product up for all to see! Have a squiz!

So those were the four models…. Noks-Patrick-Wendy-Matt… Hiiiiii…..

And the team:

This is what the magazine looks like:

Cupcake Couture: http://www.lovecupcakecouture.blogspot.com

PlayPlay Creations: www.playplaycreations.com

Stay posted for more soon!!

xxx

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A little bit of wonderland…with Lu de Fortier

Posted in Fashion/Modeling Portfolios, Portraits, Uncategorized, tagged on February 14, 2012 | 4 Comments »

I had so much fun doing this photo shoot with Lu. It was her first ever photo shoot and you wont believe what a great job she did! Lu is studying at chef school/college and is proving to have more talents than just cooking! She’s a model in the making! Have a look… :-)

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DONT BE SHY—Show the world what you’re about!

Posted in Personal, Portraits, Uncategorized, tagged , , on February 13, 2012 | 3 Comments »

Over the years my keen interest in people has only become greater… I cannot get enough of people… I love to meet new people, learn about what makes them tick and be able to express that using the tool I find the most inspirational… photography.

A few years ago I took this picture of a well known Durban-based photographer,dear friend and  mentor, Jacki Bruniquel… It always sticks in my mind and I keep going back to this picture for inspiration. It was one of the first projects that I took on that was entirely what I want to do… not influenced by my studies or by other photographers work. I took these picture to show what Jacki is all about, what she loves, what she does for a living, and all the elements that consume her life. Because people are made up of so many different things that make them who they are, one ordinary image of them can sometimes not give people a full understanding of who you really are. The things that get you out of bed in the morning and the events of your life that play a big part in the person you are today.

If you look at these pics long enough you will start to find all sorts of things that you didn’t notice at first… you might even discover that you have something in common with her.

I get such joy and satisfaction from doing character portraits… It gives people a chance to gather bits and bobs of their lives together to be strategically placed in a photograph that encapsulates who you are… where you have been… what you have become.. Its an extra-ordinary experience in itself… and I get to witness it first hand.

Its not often we get to sum up our lives… sit back and evaluate what it is that we have, what it is that we have lost and what we have overcome. The things that make us stronger… the things we cannot resist. All of which play an instrumental part in our PERSONALITY MAKE-UP. Some of us lead very busy lives and others… well not so much… but that doesn’t mean to say that one person has more to offer the world in terms of heart, spirit and character. Which is why character portraits have always fascinated me..

A stay-at-home-mom could do a shoot with me that entails cooking recipes, cleaning apparatus, family photographs, bills, books, piles of fabric, sewing machines, yoga poses and she might love to sing for instance so we’ll throw in some old vinyl records and some music sheets.  (this is obviously just one example of a stay at home mom that I know so please don’t think I am stereotyping).

And on the other end of the spectrum a business man could do a shoot with me that entails a laptop, many cups of coffee, a set of golf clubs, a gym towel and water bottle, a picture of his fiancee and dog, his favourite Sharks jersey, some old concert tickets from his varsity days and a book on inspirational quotes that have kept him motivated from his early teen years at boarding school. (again… not trying to generalise or turn this fellow into a stereotype)…

I’m sure you get what I am going for here…

I invite you all to think about the things that say something about you, take a stroll around your home, peek through your drawers and give me a call to book your very own character portrait! You might not get this opportunity again soon… and before you know it… you’ll be consumed by life.

Love Tae xox

072 740 2323

email me at tae@taetim.com

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